She Wears Short Skirts
by Irhaboggles
Summary: Even though Red Daughter is dead, it's like a piece of her still lives on in Kara, even if Kara can't explain how. But that aside, with this new piece of spirit within her, Kara begins looking for a change, one that will maybe honor (and humor) Red Daughter, wherever she may be now. This change comes in the form of a long-awaited redo of the famous super suit...


Ever since the moment Kara had "merged" with Red Daughter, she had felt... different. The first sign of this change had been obvious. Her laser vision, which had once been a bright blue, had suddenly changed into an even brighter and even stronger purple. It was as if, even though Red Daughter was gone, a piece of her managed to live on in Kara. It was as if, when Red Daughter gave her life up for Supergirl, she had managed to give up a piece of her soul as well. So thanks to whatever remained of Red Daughter, Kara essentially received a power-up and it was just what she needed to help her stop the evil Lex Luthor, the man who had brought her and Red Daughter and so many other people so much strife, to his bitter defeat. But even after Lex and Red Daughter had both died and even after the chaos of that little war had finally passed away, that piece of Red Daughter seemed to continue to live on in Kara.

That wasn't to say Kara would ever start spouting Russian prose and she did not dream in Russian. And she could not hear Red Daughter speaking in her mind, so it wasn't like they were just sharing a body. It was something even more subtle and subconscious than that. And Kara had also had herself tested a few times to see if Red Daughter had latched onto her in a way similar to that of Reign and her human counterpart, Samantha Arias. But those tests all returned negative. Red Daughter was not some alter ego of Kara's. She was truly dead and gone, but it was as if some tiny piece of her mind had managed to take shelter in Supergirl's own brain, subtly influencing her as the days went on.

In all the days to come, following Lex and Red Daughter's demises, Kara found herself unable to stop thinking about her Russian "twin". Sympathy and empathy for her fallen "sister" hovered around Kara's mind like a mourner's shroud. All she could think about were all of her regrets. She regretted not finding Red Daughter sooner. She regretted not being able to sway her from Lex's poisonous influence. She regretted not being able to rescue Red Daughter when Lex had betrayed her. She regretted not being able to save Red Daughter after Red Daughter took the fatal blow meant for her. She regretted not being able to give Red Daughter the life she so clearly deserved.

Kara had expressed her pity for Red Daughter before and had been very vocal to anyone who would listen that Red Daughter was no more a monster than she was. It was all about nature vs nurture. In this case, Red Daughter had been a victim of nurture. Had it not been for Lex and his evil ways, Red Daughter could've become the next Supergirl. And she deserved it. She did not deserve to die at the cruel hands of someone like Lex. And Kara's remorse for the fallen other Kryptonian grew with each passing day after her death and she couldn't help but wonder what life might've been like had she been able to save Red Daughter after all. Or at least, if Red Daughter had never met Lex at all. No doubt, life would've been happier for her in either story, but fate had been cruel and given her the worst of tales, one with Lex as her supporting character.

"Your life could mean so much!" Red Daughter had told her during one of their confrontations. Even though this remark had only led up to an insult about Kara and her costume and the fact that she wore short skirts while Red Daughter wore something far cooler and more practical, Kara just could not forget that preceding line. "Your life could mean so much!" Even though it was a phrase spoken in disdain and disgust, Kara had been able to hear the sincerity buried within. After all, Red Daughter had never been a true villain, only a pawn. Her words to Kara had not been an insult, but a genuine remark that Kara could've been so much better than she was. In that one moment, Red Daughter had not wanted to fight or kill Kara. Instead, she had wanted to help Kara just as much as Kara had wanted to help her. In that split second, Red Daughter was not an enemy, but a friend, desiring to show Kara her true potential and sway her over to Lex's cause, just in the same way Kara had been trying to sway her over and _away _from Lex. It was like fire meeting ice, each one trying to persuade the other by dragging the other down the path opposite to the one they were already walking. But with both of them pulling equally hard in opposite directions, neither of them managed to get anywhere at all.

"Your life could mean so much!" it honestly sounded like something Cat Grant might've said. Kara couldn't help but give a weak laugh at that. Cat had always been an interesting one. Her idea of a pep talk included berating Kara until she realized how wonderful she was. Cat's idea of displaying her respect and admiration for Kara involved a lot of exasperated shouting on her part while Kara could only listen and tremble, vaguely aware of a warm sensation filling her heart that Cat should think so highly of her. Red Daughter had been in a similar boat, so sure that she was on the side of good, while Kara was the evil one. And in that one little remark, she had wanted to save Kara, insisting in very Cat-like style that she was worth so much more than what the "fatted heifer" that was America was giving her.

"And yet," Kara's counterpart had said at last. "You fly around in a _cheerleader skirt_!" and that was the petty jibe, the more mean-spirited character attack, in what had been an otherwise intelligent set of arguments. But it stung Kara more than she had expected. Sure, she _was_ the girl who went flying around in short skirts, but she liked them! They might not have been very practical, but they weren't a hindrance! That suit had served her well for _years_! That was proof that no matter how silly or stupid the skirt looked, it was not totally a burden! And not only that, but the suit had been designed by one of her best friends, Winn Schott. It was one of her biggest memories of him now that he had gone away into the 31st century. Kara's old suit wasn't just tradition, it was a memorial for a friend! But Red Daughter had not approved...

And now, as Kara sat in her apartment, her eyes slowly drifted over to the mirror that stood in the corner. She got up slowly, feeling sluggish, and walked over to it. She was in civilian clothing at the moment, but she could already see that familiar super suit clinging to her well-muscled body. She smiled briefly at the memory as the crest and cape outlined themselves in her mind, but after a moment, she felt her lips twitch downward in disapproval. She wasn't even aware of it, but this was yet another time when that strange little piece of Red Daughter seemed to influence her again. Red Daughter's own conscious mind had been forever silenced by Lex, but a part of her personality seemed to have seeped into Kara (along with all of her strength) and as Kara continued to mentally turn her old super suit over and over again in her mind, the more and more... displeased she became with it. Hmmm, maybe it _was_ time for a change after all...

The next time Kara posed in front of that mirror, she was in a new suit. No more skirt. The old Kara was gone. All that remained was a girl with an upgraded outfit and a new hairstyle. Yes, as silly as that sounded, Kara had decided to switch things up with the rest of her appearance as well. After getting her new suit made, she had gone home and carefully trimmed herself a nice set of bangs. It had been a little tricky, her having needed to angle her laser vision through a mirror just right so that she cut the bangs evenly, but she did manage to do it and here she stood now! And this was another strange influence of the late Red Daughter, for Kara's new bangs looked quite a lot like the ones her Russian counterpart had worn while stuck under a brown wig.

"Look out world, here comes the new me!" the Kryptonian whispered to her reflection as she admired her new skirt-less suit. The Kryptonian thought back bittersweetly on the old her, and the old suit. She really would miss it, but maybe it was time for a change after all.

"She wears short skirts," Kara muttered to herself. "But she is not me, not anymore. Not now that I've got someone else to look out for..."

Kara still wasn't quite sure how she felt about the new look, but she was sure it would grow on her in time. For now, though, at least it was something new, even if it wasn't necessarily improved. But even if she was having a few tiny doubts, that tiny "Red Daughter" part of her brain seemed pleased. That was why, even though Kara felt weird without a skirt, and with bangs, she was still able to look at her reflection and smile.

"Well, here's to you, old friend," Kara murmured softly. "Maybe this is how you can live on through me..." and although it was a silly sentiment, Kara still felt glad that she had done this, in honor of the innocent life taken away from the world far too soon. Maybe now this would be Red Daughter's chance to shine and live on, through Kara. Only time would tell how it would all pan out...

_This is for Red Daughter!_

**AN: Just a random little fic inspired off of Melissa's new S5 look, and all the jokes about how Red Daughter's remark had been what caused this change of wardrobe. I do hope they keep the purple heat vision though, I like the idea that a piece of RD lives on in Kara in some way, even if it isn't as clean-cut as an alter ego (like with Reign) or a fellow voice inside Kara's head, though that would be kind of funny.**


End file.
